Engine Care; Mower Care; Blade Care; Clean Engine - Craftsman 247.374301 Operator's Manual

Engine Care
Referto the Engine Operator's Manual p acked with yourmowerforadetailed
description of all engine-related service specifications.
CleanEngine
Daily orbefore e very use, c lean grass, chafforaccumulated debris from
engine. Keep linkage, spring, and controls clean. K eep a rea around and
behind muffler f reeofanycombustible debris.
Keeping engine clean allows a irmovement around e ngine.
Engine p arts should bekept c lean toreduce t herisk ofoverheating and
ignition ofaccumulated debris.
Donotusewater to clean engine parts. Watercould contaminatefuel
system.Usea brushor dry cloth.
Mower Care
CleaningDeck
Clean underside of the mowerdeckonceaseason to prevent b uild-upofgrass
clippings or otherdebris.Followstepsbelowfor thisjob.
1. Runengineuntil it stopsfrom lackof fuel.Disconnect sparkplugwire.
2. Tipmowersothatit restsonthe housing, k eepingthe mufflerside down.
Holdmowerfirmly.
4.
Nevertip the mower morethan 900in any direction anddo not leavethe
mowertipped for any length of time. Oilcan drain intothe upperpart of
the engine causingastarting problem.
Scrape andcleanthe underside ofthe deckwith asuitabletool. Donot spray
with water.
IMPORTANT: Donot usea pressure w asher or gardenhoseto cleanyourunit.
These maycause damage to bearings, o r the engine.Theuseofwaterwill
resultinshortenedlifeandreduce serviceability.
Putthe mowerbackon itswheels on the ground.
Blade Care
Whenremoving the cutting bladefor sharpeningor replacement, protect
your handswith apairof heavyglovesor usea heavyragto hold the blade.
Periodically i nspect the bladeadapterforcracks, especially if youstrikeaforeign
object.Replace w hennecessary. Followthe stepsbelowfor bladeservice.
1. Disconnect sparkplugbootfrom sparkplug.Turnmoweron itssidemaking
surethat the airfilter andthe carburetor a refacingup.
2. Remove t he bolt andthe bladebellsupportwhichholdthe bladeandthe
bladeadapter t o the enginecrankshaft. S ee Figure14.
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...................................... eud B , upl
Figure 14
Remove b ladefrom the adapterfortestingbalance. B alance t he bladeon a
roundshaftscrewdriver to check.Remove m etalfromthe heavysideuntil
it balances e venly. W hensharpening the blade, f ollowthe originalangleof
grind. Grindeachcuttingedgeequallyto keepthe bladebalanced.
Anunbalancedbladewill causeexcessive vibration whenrotating at high
speeds.It may causedamageto mower andcould breakcausingpersonal
injury.
5. Lubricate the enginecrankshaft a ndthe innersurface of the bladeadapter
with light oil.Slidethe bladeadapter o ntothe enginecrankshaft. P lace the
bladeon theadaptersuchthatthe sideof the blademarked "Bottom"(or
with part number) faces the groundwhen the mowerisin the operating
position. M akesurethatthe bladeisalignedandseatedonthe bladeadapter
flanges.SeeFigure 14inset.
6. Place bladebellsupportonthe blade.Alignnotches on the bladebell
supportwith smallholesin blade.
7. Replace h exbolt andtighten hexbolt to torque:450in. Ibs.min.,600in.Ibs.
max.
Toensure s afe operation ofyourmower, periodically check t heblade boltforcorrect
torque.
3. Remove b ladeandadapterfromthe crankshaft.
14